The town opted not to officially declare itself a no kill pet community last month but that is "essentially" what it did when new animal control rules were accepted by council as information on Aug. 27.
The Province did call for the declaration in a July 17 editorial, and if there is any public confusion about what the town is planning then Mayor Jim Romane is quick to bluntly spell it out.
"Essentially yes. The headline isn't no kill but it is unsaid that is our policy, that (killing) won't be done; no more euthanizations," said Romane. "We just can't take that chance anymore."
No, the town can't. The Mikey case made national headlines, and Innisfail did take a public relations hit, although CAO Todd Becker and his staff handled the media onslaught quickly and efficiently.
What is interesting, however, is that there has not been the same level of publicity outside of town for the new rules. Interesting, yes, but understandable if one knows how the media can work -- jump on the initial outrage with a blaring headline but ignore the less explosive followup of new bureaucratic rules.
This is unfortunate. The town put in place a remarkably progressive document, one that categorically states the days of euthanizing any healthy dog or cat are over. Domestic animals may be held as just property in Canada's Criminal Code, with cruelty violators dealt with in too many cases with just a slap on the wrist, but here in Innisfail we have been given an extraordinary gift -- a policy underscoring they are special and deserving at least moral justice when victimized with a wrongful death to satisfy a human's need for convenience.
It may not seem like a big deal but consider that the issue of euthanizing healthy pets for convenience has had legs in the national media over the past few years, particularly when a cat or a dog is put down because it's just too inconvenient for the owner to humanely take care of them. Sadly, euthanasia of healthy pets has not been outlawed by either federal and provincial legislation.
However, the town's new rules are at least a start in the right direction to end the killing of healthy pets because of human convenience. It's impossible to quantify how many healthy pets have been put down in Innisfail over the years but all right-thinking citizens know there has been too many, even if that figure is just a handful.
And while there will be growing pains with the new rules the town finds itself in its own special place, a willingness to accept moral responsibility for the voiceless vulnerable.
Johnnie Bachusky is the editor of the Innisfail Province.
